It has been five years since a Haddon Township man left New Jersey on a mission to walk on all seven continents in the world.

Thomas Turcich has walked 18,000 miles across 38 different countries over the last five years. He spoke to News 12 New Jersey from central Turkey as he continues his “World Walk” – a walk he decided to embark on after the death of his friend.

“I realized I wanted to experience the world in the deepest, most immersive way possible. And walking around the world seemed like the best solution to that,” Turcich says.

Argentina, Denmark, Spain and even Antarctica are just some of the places where Turcich has walked, averaging about 21 miles per day.

“It sometimes really stuns me thinking that I walked through El Salvador and Mexico and across the Peruvian and Chilean deserts,” he says.

And he’s done it all with his best friend, his dog named Savannah, at his side.

“I don’t know how I would have done this without her,” he says.

“The World Walk” is not without its challenges. Turcich says the heat was so bad in Costa Rica the soles of his shoes melted off. But he says that those instances are balanced by moments of kindness.

“We got this Turkish breakfast the owner of the gas station gave us,” Turcich said in a video he posted on YouTube. “Little cream cheese, Nutella and honey…Also got a little chai. It’s been a nice way to wake up.”

Turcich also says that there is a valuable lesson to be learned from his walking.

“I can only walk so much in a day…and I think that’s an important thing that can be applied to just about everything in life, which is, do what you can in one day. Be satisfied and then try again the next day,” he says.

Turcich says that no matter where his journey takes him, he will always remember where it all began.

“Definitely a big shout out to New Jersey – made me who I am,” he says.

Turcich says he has about two years left on his walk.